DALEY: Why do we need a sheriff?

Michael Daley

Friday

Mar 18, 2011 at 2:00 AM

Recently we saw one of our area’s elected officials make a blatant political appointment. The appointment was made by an elected sheriff.

Recently we saw one of our area’s elected officials make a blatant political appointment. The appointment was made by an elected sheriff. He gave a senior management position within the local House of Correction to a former state representative who lost his most recent bid for a higher elected office. The job pays an annual salary in excess of six figures. It also provides the richest of retirement benefits available in the Commonwealth.

This patronage action has resulted in a terrific level of public outcry. I applaud everyone who has spoken out. Those opposed to the sheriff and the former candidate who was given the job have decried the action. Those who favor the sheriff and in particular those who favor the defeated politician are very supportive of the action.

The controversy and heated rhetoric that resulted shows me two things. First, people are paying attention. The outrage and passion on both sides clearly indicates the attention is there. What else does this behavior show me? It doesn’t matter which side or affiliation these lifetime politicians ascribe to. They all eventually display poor judgment and behave badly.

This current sheriff is already double dipping. He takes a nice pension check every month from the State Retirement System. Then he takes a second payment from the State of Massachusetts as his annual salary for serving as the Sheriff. It isn’t unusual to find elected officials taking the most at the public trough.

The newly appointed former state representative is reportedly now eyeing this route for himself. Thanks to our elected sheriff, this new guy is still gathering up his retirement benefits. He starts with his illustrious career in Wareham. Then he adds in his state representative time and now his house of correction job will help him grow that pension even more. By the time his turn comes to run for his new boss’s elected position, he will have himself a nice big state pension to collect once he moves up and starts to collect his new sheriff job’s six-figure state salary.

I understand all the fuss. The public is finally getting sick of the outrageous behavior by elected politicians of all shapes, sizes and textures. These two characters just happen to be representatives of one party. Their party isn’t the only one with a track record of bad behavior. Hacks come from both sides of the aisle. That is exactly wherein lays the rub.

Why on earth do we need 14 elected Sheriffs in this state? There aren’t even 14 houses of correction in Massachusetts. It matters not how much a sheriff works on any given day or what their credentials are. With some modest exception, sheriffs are generally all paid the same annual salaries by state law.

From my read of the law, anyone can run for sheriff anywhere. There isn’t even a county residency requirement for a Sheriff candidate. Perhaps in 2016 our sheriff’s recently defeated political friend will be opposed in this county by another highly financed and well organized candidate from the greater Boston area. You can be sure that both candidates will be promising hundreds of jobs to their political supporters. Without significant changes in the model, we will never stop the game of elected officials rewarding political friends with public jobs.

If you were one of those aggrieved by the recent good old boy deal that our resident county sheriff made, I say channel your energy. If you think the appointment should not be classified as a “hack deal,” it is a good one and we have the best second fiddle in the correctional business, I say channel your energy. Take away the risk of more bad behavior in our county by bad politicians in 2016. Heck, we cannot only take away future bad behavior here on the Cape, we can eliminate more of the same across the commonwealth. The action required is quite simple. Eliminate the position of elected Sheriff. Everyone should just contact their representative and senator today. Then simply ask them all to file a bill to eliminate all elected sheriffs in our great state.

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